[4] O'Malley was appointed Alameda County district attorney in 2009 by the Board of Supervisors when her predecessor, Tom Orloff, retired.
[5] In November 2017, O'Malley investigated a high-profile shooting of a pregnant teenager by Fremont police officers.
She later cleared the Fremont police officers, including the union president, of any wrongdoing in the shooting.
In 2018, O'Malley faced a challenge from a criminal defense and Oakland civil rights attorney Pamela Price, running on policy of police accountability.
[5] Law enforcement unions spent large sums on O'Malley's campaign and in opposition to Price.